Workouts for Building Explosive Strength

Vertical jump performance is important for basketball players and other athletes. There are a couple of ways to develop this ability, and a study published inThe Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitnesssuggests some approaches might be better suited to different age groups.

Researchers divided 59 male basketball players into 3 age groups and assigned subjects from each group to 16-week training programs. Some performed hang cleans and also jumped rope. Others practiced half squats and speed ladder training.

Compared to measurements taken before the program began, subjects aged 18 and older improved vertical jump performance with either of these different workouts, but subjects under the age of 17 only improved with the half squat protocol.